Galactic Empire
The Galactic Empire, also known as the New Order, the Old Empire, the First Galactic Empire, Palpatine's New Order, the Imperium or simply the Empire, was the galactic government established by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to replace the Galactic Republic and bring Sith rule to the galaxy. The Republic, which had lasted for at least 25,034 years, ended following a period of intense political turmoil and the devastation of the Clone Wars. Chancellor Palpatine, by then ruling with near-absolute power, began a purge of the Jedi Order, and then proclaimed himself Emperor of the galaxy and reorganized the Galactic Republic into "the first Galactic Empire." History Origin The Empire can be said to have begun with the scheming aspiration of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, whose alter ego was Senator Palpatine of Naboo. A great manipulator of events, he furtively instigated the Naboo crisis, using the Trade Federation as a pawn, which led to Queen Amidala calling for a "Vote of No Confidence" in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, effectively replacing him. When his first apprentice, Darth Maul, was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sidious took on the former Jedi Count Dooku as his new apprentice. Dooku then helped found the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which in turn ignited the Clone Wars. Palpatine was an efficient and effective leader who quickly brought to an end the corruption in the Senate; his power was greatly increased as a result of the Clone Wars, while the Senate willingly furnished more and more emergency powers to him. Eventually, the Senate lost most of its power and became little more than a formality that Palpatine had to go through to pass his laws. Yet the Senate did have a symbolic power at least; Chancellor Palpatine still hid behind the pomp and circumstance of appealing to the Senate, but his power existed in his control over thousands of Senators that he had brought into his own web of corruption. However, Anakin Skywalker discovered that Palpatine was a Sith Lord, and after having informed Jedi Master Mace Windu of his discovery, a Jedi task force, led by Windu himself, attempted to arrest him. After a brief duel, Palpatine appeared to be defeated. Skywalker arrived and demanded Windu not kill the Sith Lord. Deeply troubled, Skywalker nonetheless helped Palpatine kill Windu, prompting him to be held under Palpatine's sway as his new apprentice and enforcer, Darth Vader. Palpatine then proceeded to carry out the Great Jedi Purge, which eliminated almost all of the Jedi, while simultaneously wiping out the remnants of the Confederacy at Mustafar, thus bringing an end to the Clone Wars. Secure in his power and position, Palpatine used the so-called Jedi rebellion to issue the Declaration of a New Order and declared himself Emperor of the Galaxy, replacing the Galactic Republic with the Galactic Empire. Many people under the new Empire enthusiastically supported the vision outlined in the Declaration of a New Order, largely due to the violence that had plagued the galaxy for so long. Many Senators wholeheartedly supported the new government while a number of more cautious senators chose to watch and wait to see how the new government would handle the affairs of state. It promised to trade frailty for strength, chaos for order, and uncertainty for decisiveness. In retrospect, the foundation of the Empire had already been set down during Palpatine's chancellorship and all potential threats eliminated; therefore, the transition from Republic to Empire was relatively smooth. It is important to note that not all of the Senators liked what they saw. In fact, the Petition of 2000 sought to bring the worries of these Senators to Palpatine. This petition was led by Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Padmé Amidala. Palpatine's dismissal of their concerns was one factor that led Organa and Mothma to help found the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Imperialization With the rise of the Empire, all the institutions of the old Republic found themselves either dismantled or modified beyond recognition. There was a riot of renaming all things "Imperial" to glorify the new Emperor: overnight, the Coruscant Sector was renamed the Imperial Sector, Coruscant itself was renamed Imperial Center, and Galactic City was renamed Imperial City. The Galactic Senate became the Imperial Senate. The Grand Army of the Republic became the Imperial Army, and the Republic Navy became the Imperial Navy. The four decrepit intelligence agencies of the Republic were merged into Imperial Intelligence, with former SBI director Armand Isard at its head. The Palace of the Republic was rebuilt and expanded, becoming the Imperial Palace, eclipsing all other buildings on Imperial Center. The former Commission for the Protection of the Republic (COMPOR) was renamed the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR). Within days, there were few names left to remind the people that there had ever been a Galactic Republic. During the first few years of the Empire, the galaxy saw the single largest military buildup in history. A council of Moffs was established to more efficiently govern individual sectors and regions of the Empire. Popular support for the policies of Palpatine's administration was high. Resistance to Imperial Rule After the true nature of the Empire became clear, three of the most influential senators, Bail Organa of Alderaan, Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia, and Mon Mothma of Chandrila, along with others, were on the brink of starting a great rebellion against the Empire. To lure the dissidents out of hiding, the Emperor and Darth Vader had Galen Marek, Vader's secret Sith Apprentice, rally the Rebels. Brought together by him, they met in secret and signed the Corellian Treaty. This officially formed the Alliance to Restore the Republic, more commonly referred to as the Rebel Alliance. They were arrested on the spot, but Marek turned to the light side of the force and freed them, sacrificing his own life. Thus the Alliance was formed. However, the threat of rebellion allowed Palpatine to endorse the Tarkin Doctrine of rule by fear of force rather than force itself. If anything, Palpatine welcomed the formation of the fledgling Rebel Alliance as a legitimate excuse to remove the last vestiges of the Republic and tighten his grip on the galaxy. Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Palpatine declared a state of emergency and disbanded the Imperial Senate. Thus the last institution that represented the values and ideals of the Republic was swept away. A key instrument in the enforcement of the Doctrine was intended to be the Death Star I, a moon sized space station with sufficient firepower to easily destroy a planet with a single discharge of its powerful superlaser. Whereas many planets could afford planetary deflector shields capable of warding off virtually any conventional attack, none could defend against the power of that weapon. The weapon was destroyed in the Battle of Yavin, which marked the first major space-based victory for the Rebel Alliance. At this point Palpatine and the rest of the Empire realized that the Rebellion was a major threat to them and one that should be taken seriously for the destruction of the Death Star was a massive blow to the Empire. The Rebel Alliance was a guerilla army dedicated to the defeat of the Empire and the restoration of the Galactic Republic. This goal was nominally achieved with the deaths of Palpatine and Darth Vader, along with the destruction of the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. Imperial resurgence information on the Empire under Pellaeon Return of Palpatine information on the Empire under Palpatine Government and Politics The Empire was ruled with absolute power by Emperor Palpatine, with Sate Pestage as Grand Vizier, and Darth Vader as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy and Military Executor. Imperial rule was authoritarian. There was little to no freedom of speech and dissidents were punished harshly. The Galactic Empire was actually more decentralized than the Galactic Republic. Systems were grouped in sectors and sectors in turn into oversectors. These were controlled by the Moffs and Grand Moffs, who exercised power in the disparate regions of the galaxy. This was in contrast to the structure of the Galactic Republic, which placed senators in control of their respective sectors. The planets of the Empire were no longer given a say in the government, but were now kept in line through fear of force. Executive Branch While Palpatine was Emperor, the executive branch consisted of the Imperial Inner Circle, a group of Imperial advisors, who ran both the day-to-day activities and the will of Palpatine for the Empire. The real power below the Emperor and his Advisers was in the hands of the Grand Moffs, like Wilhuff Tarkin, and the regional governors who were eventually granted direct control of their regions. This exercise of power was backed up by the use of state terrorism in the form of the Tarkin Doctrine, named for Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. The Doctrine threatened force rather than the use of force to control dissent; the Ghorman Massacre was an example. The justification for the Tarkin Doctrine was the excessive cost and impracticality of the use of pure terror in the form of billions upon billions of troops and spaceships to maintain order. The instrument of enforcing the Doctrine was the Imperial Military, which included the stormtroopers and a large fleet of intimidating warships like the Star Destroyers of the Imperial Navy and the All Terrain Armored Transports of the Imperial Army, all of which were intended in part to spread fear as well as destroy the enemy. This policy reached its zenith with the construction of the world-destroying Death Star. Legislative Branch After the formation of Galactic Empire, the Galactic Senate was reorganized into the Imperial Senate. But unlike the Galactic Senate, which had held both legislative and executive power, the Imperial Senate held only legislative power (and even with much of that held by the Galactic Senate now in the hands of the Emperor) by orders of the Senate Constitution. The Senate could advise the Emperor and work on the Imperial budget. However, the Emperor could both introduce and veto Senate legislation, and both called and dismissed the Senate to meeting. So the Senate was practically powerless and was dissolved by Emperor Palpatine to remove the last constitutional limit to his power. It was succeeded as the Imperial legislature by various councils, most composed of Moffs: the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, the Interim Ruling Council, and finally, the Council of Moffs. Judicial Branch Due to the centralization of government power into the executive branch under the Galactic Empire, it seems likely that the Supreme Court and other Regional Courts were disbanded at some point, presumably before the Senate's dissolution in 0 BBY. Instead, the Imperial criminal justice system was headed by a Procurator of Justice. The Procurator of Justice was charged with prosecuting political prisoners and administering sentences on entire worlds. Other Imperial Organizations To strengthen his hold on power, Palpatine created various organizations that were loyal to him. Foremost among this organizations were COMPNOR, Imperial Security Bureau, Inquisitorius and the Dark Side Adepts. Palpatine also had the Emperor's Hands, special assassins that did his bidding. Palpatine allowed these organizations and their leaders to build up power bases of their own. Palpatine encouraged this system, often giving overlapping responsibilities. This made administration of the Empire less efficient, but benefited Palpatine by ensuring that he continued to be the source of all political power in the Empire. Economy The Galactic Empire had a very complex and diverse economy. Following the Clone Wars, the Empire started a process of stabilization and expansion of the economy. While the Imperial Period saw some increases in state control and centralization of economic procedures, it had little effect on the galactic economy, as witnessed in the virtual non-existence of inflation. Most of the assets were given over to loyalist companies such as Kuat Drive Yards, Sienar Systems, TaggeCo., and Merr-Sonn. Unless acting in opposition to its interests, the Empire largely left loyal companies alone and even expanded the Corporate Sector to encompass 30,000 star systems. In return for the support given to the Corporate Sector Authority, the Empire would collect a yearly stipend of 3% of the total gross product, 9% of all material, and 20% of all strategic rare elements coming out of the Corporate Sector. The Empire also dedicated its vast economic resources and quintillions of credits to expand the Imperial Military and to fund new scientific developments in a wide variety of fields. This military buildup would eventually result in the Imperial Navy fielding millions of starships, the Imperial Army being comprised of tens of trillions of soldiers, and the creation of a vast force of stormtroopers. The Imperialization of the Trade Federation by the Galactic Empire created a void filled by smugglers to address strong demand for shipping created by the Imperial controls. Smugglers flourished in the Imperial era as independent operators or as part of larger organizations like those of Jorj Car'das, Quelev Tapper, Talon Karrde, or Booster Terrik. After the fracturing of the Empire at the Battle of Endor, many different currencies came into existence, and exchange rates fluctuated wildly. At that time, the credit was backed by the immense wealth of the planet Muunilinst. Society and Culture The culture of the Galactic Empire was ascetic and minimalist. These aesthetics were encouraged throughout the galaxy by the Coalition for Progress, an arm of COMPNOR. Arts and Media The role of art and media in the Galactic Empire was primarily didactic; cultural expression served as an instrument for inculcating New Order ideology. During its short existence, the Empire was not particularly brutal in the suppression of artistic culture, as it was primarily interested in military and political dominance. However, pressures from the New Order left their mark on the art of the Imperial period. Several anti-Imperial artists were executed for sympathizing the Rebel Alliance, such as Borna, a young musician who composed dark and moody symphonies as a protest against the Empire. The policy of distributing Imperial propaganda was maintained by the Imperial Ministry of Propaganda, the Imperial Propaganda Bureau and the Propaganda Dissemination Section. Imperial Holovision, the successor of HoloNet News and a leading galactic provider of news and entertainment, adopted a pro-Imperial stance and thus, was the Empire's most powerful propaganda tool. All Imperial media was verified, reviewed and censored by the Imperial Board of Culture. Holodrama was another venue for politics. Many Imperial holofilms glorified the New Order and were blatantly propagandistic, such as Win or Die, depicting the heroism of a boy who ardently supported the New Order in spite of his parents' opposition, or Sacrifice at Endor, in which Emperor Palpatine was portrayed as a benevolent savior and the hero of the Battle of Endor. One of the most notable pro-Imperial music bands was The Emperor's New Clothes, favored by the Imperial Board of Culture. The band was opposed by anti-Imperial Red Shift Limit, of which all albums were banned by Imperial authorities. The premier orchestra of the Empire was the Imperial Symphony Orchestra. The official sport of the Empire was wegsphere, a competive game invented by SAGRec, that could be considered one of their greatest successes. While wegsphere was originally introduced as a sporting activity for COMPNOR members, it became surprisingly popular through the galaxy, spreading to thousands of worlds. The official Imperial shockball team was, presumably, the Royal Shockball Team. Religion Under the Galactic Empire, Anti-Jediism was a government policy, which meant that people were discouraged to believe in the Force. But it was not just the Jedi that suffered. All Force-sensitives were targeted. Despite the established anti-Jediism of the New Order, many in the Imperial government were aware that Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were Force users, but only a few knew that they were Sith Lords. Xenophobia The Empire's New Order emphasized Human and, to a lesser extent, humanoid supremacy, with other alien species were designated as "Non-huMans". The Empire practiced the policy of "Human High Culture", based on Humanocentric beliefs of Humans being inherently superior to other species. Many Non-huMan species like Wookiees, Mon Calamari, Talz, and Lurrians were subjected to slavery. The Rights of Sentience, one of the most well-known anti-speciest clauses of the Galactic Constitution, as well as other important anti-slavery laws that were ratified during the reign of the Galactic Republic, were removed from the Imperial Charter and legislation legalizing the persecution of alien species was passed. The Empire essentially legalized slavery. The Empire was known to commit atrocities and xenocidal campaigns against Non-huMan species, such as the Caamas Incident to wipe out the peaceful Caamasi, and commissioning Imperial extermination ships to eradicate entire species through the Outer Rim Territories. One of the members of the Imperial Inner Circle known as Janus Greejatus established the Imperial Department of Redesign to suppress and exterminate Non-huMan species. On Imperial Center, all Non-huMans were forced to move into an "ethnic neighborhood" designated as the Alien Protection Zone, keeping them under poor living conditions. As a result, the vast majority of the government officials were composed of Humans, with only rare exceptions like Grand Admiral Thrawn climbing in the ranks of the military. However, the cases of Ampotem Za, Stafuv Rahz and Bentilais san Sk'ar indicate that the Empire tolerated Non-huMans if they were willing to pledge loyalty to the Emperor. A high degree of male chauvinism was also seen in the Empire's government and military. Combining the rampant misogyny with the alien persecution, the Empire was often referred to as having "Non-huMan policies". Notable exceptions to acknowledged male chauvinism included Director Ysanne Isard of the Imperial Intelligence, Major General Tessala Corvae of the Imperial Army and several navy officers like Admiral Natasi Daala, Admiral Betl Oxtroe, Captain Juno Eclipse, and Captain Plikk. The sexist policies that plagued the Empire encouraged Major General Corvae to establish the Firebird Society to prove that females were effective and capable soldiers for the Imperial Military. Under the New Order, the droids often met harsh treatment, because they were not considered to be full citizens by the Imperial law. Many Imperial institutions preferred the Wookiees and other enslaved sapient beings for complicated and challenging construction projects such as the first Death Star, even though the droids were economically cheaper laborers and provided more effective and sophisticated perfomance capacity than organic slaves. Curiously, an IG-series assassin droid called 4-8C ascended to the rank of Grand Moff and was involved with the activities of the Imperial Department of Redesign. The cyborgs were shunned and detested by the Imperial citizens, and even Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik was ostracized for his extensive cybernetic prosthetics. The most notable exception in the prevalent anti-cyborg sentiment was the second most powerful man of the Empire, Supreme Commander Darth Vader, whose cybernetic life support system sustained his grievous injuries and struck terror in the hearts of the enemies of the Empire. While the Empire was unquestionably xenophobic, there is little to suggest that the Emperor himself was. The Sith Order was in no way xenophobic, with much of its foundations in the humanoid race of Sith, and many of the greatest Sith Lords were either alien or half-breed. In fact, it is believed that the privy councilors and advisers that filled Palpatine's court and ran the Empire on a day-to-day basis were the xenophobes, and applied Human High Culture on their own accord. Numerous high-ranking Imperial politicians and military personnel such as Lord Crueya Vandron, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Grand Admiral Ishin-Il-Raz, Grand Admiral Danetta Pitta, and many others were known for their Humanocentric attitude. The most prominent Imperial xenophobe was Grand Vizier Sate Pestage who considered all Non-huMans to be nothing more than worthless "animal waste". It seems likely, given the presence of Prince Xizor of the Black Sun, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and other notable aliens in the Imperial court that Palpatine simply used xenophobia to cull loyalty from his fellow Humans, while using everyone regardless of species in general. Indeed, many of the Emperor's loyal Dark Side Adepts, like Hethrir, Ja'ce Yiaso and Gwellib Ap-Llewff, were not Human. Military The Imperial Military was the military arm of the Galactic Empire. Consisting of predominantly the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy, it was responsible for carrying out military operations throughout the galaxy, as well as maintaining order on Imperial member worlds, governorships, colonies, and protectorates. Since the Empire's New Order was based on fear of force, the Imperial Military formed a very important part of the Imperial government. Even so, the fleet would prove somewhat insubordinate, and a tension between the Coruscant government and the fleet admirals existed throughout this period, creating the need for the ISB to install political officers throughout the military as minders. During the early years of the Empire, most stormtroopers were clones from the Clone Wars. However, by the mid to late parts of the Empire, most stormtroopers were recruited Humans. This was probably a cost-cutting and time-saving measure, as clones required time and money to grow. Those Humans recruited would be trained mainly at Carida and were subject to the most rigorous training that the Empire could offer. After the return of Palpatine, stormtroopers were again cloned and used as the bulk of the Imperial force. Organization There were numerous branches in the Imperial Military, each for a different purpose, though all fell under the Imperial Executor's command. The Army and Stormtrooper corps were used for ground missions. The Imperial Navy was responsible for space operations, the protection of space lanes, and the transportation of all Army troops (though it had little influence over their activities). The Imperial Department of Military Research (IDMR), based in the Maw Installation, was responsible for creating new, advanced technologies for use by the Imperial Military ranks. The Imperial Military was more specialized than might first appear. In fact, three different branches of the Imperial Military participated in the famous Battle of Hoth: The Imperial Army was responsible for the assault vehicles, AT-ATs and AT-STs, the Stormtrooper Corps was responsible for a frontal assault, and the Imperial Navy was responsible for the blockade of the planet. Even though they worked together, each branch had a separate command structure, and there was very little interference between the branches. For instance, Stormtroopers were often stationed aboard the vessels of the Imperial Navy and offered support to the Imperial Army, but remained under a different administrative command structure. Astrography The Galactic Empire's territory at its peak consisted of many member and conquered worlds, colonies, protectorates and puppet states spread throughout the entire galaxy, stretching from the borders of the Deep Core to at least Wild Space. The original name of the Empire's capital world was Coruscant; however, it was renamed Imperial Center by the Empire. Few outside the Empire's government used this name, and upon the capture of the planet by the New Republic, the name "Coruscant" was readopted. After the Battle of Endor, large sections of the galaxy threw off Imperial occupation and became New Republic members, and by 6.5 ABY the Empire ruled barely 50% of its former territory. Imperial warlords comprised most of the lost territory, with the New Republic still relatively in its infancy. Under Pellaeon and the reborn Palpatine, the Empire slowly recliamed much of what was lost, focusing on shipyards to service the imense Imperial Navy. Category:Factions